Professional Development of Nursing Professionals

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Professional Development of Nursing Professionals A committee on Robert Wood Johnson foundation collaborated with the Institute of Medicine (10M) to develop a project on the future of nursing back in 2008. In 2010 the 10M released a report on the Initiative named The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Part II of the report describes the needed changes of the nursing profession in order to advance the whole health care system.

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The 10M “envisions a future where primary care and prevention are central drivers of the health care system, inter-professional collaboration and coordination are the norm, nd payment for health care services rewards value, not volume of services, and quality care is provided at a price that is affordable for both individuals and society (10M, 2010). This report was supported by evidence-based practice which contributed for the high endorsement of the report from the American Nursing Association (ANA).

In this paper I would Ilke to focus on three major sections of the project, namely transforming of nursing education, nursing practice and nursing leadership. The report underlines the deep changes in nursing education that need to be implemented in the following years. Even though the main goal of the nursing education remains to prepare the future nurses and nursing specialist to provide quality and safe care to a diverse population, the education needs to evolve In ways that encourage working in teams with other health professionals. 10M report 1 OF3 redesigning of U.

S. healthcare (10M, 2010). The nursing academic progression should be promoted. There is an apparent need for a higher number of nurses with baccalaureate degree to enter the field. Advancing to graduate nursing degrees is encouraged by the suggestion to increase the number of professors. This could be chieved by shortening the path from BSN to PhD. The repot projects that the number of nurses earning doctorate degrees would double by 2020. 10M report points out that diverse racial and ethnic groups and men in nursing are underrepresented.

By increasing the diversity of student body, the nursing schools would ensure that the nursing profession would not fall

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behind the increasing multicultural needs of the society. The academic advancement of nurses with different educational levels is tightly related to the cost of respective programs. The 10M report notes that “although a limited number of educational grants and cholarships are available, most of individuals seeking nursing education must finance their own education at any level of preparation” (10M, 2010). The cost is a big hurdle for the academic progression of nurses.

Nursing community, public and private organizations should be involved in order to address the financing issue. Furthermore, the 10M report stresses the importance of the continuing nursing education (CE) as a lifelong learning. In order to meet the requirements of the ever changing health care, a transformation of nursing practice is needed, as well. According to the 10M report “patients, in all settings, deserve care that is centered on their unique needs and not what is most convenient for the health professionals involved in their care” (10M, 2010).

The Affordable Care Act calls for more patient centered care. Prevention and wellness is the key for improving of our patients’ outcomes and satisfaction. The aging population and retiring of baby boomers would increase the demand for primary care and chronic disease management. This demand can be met by increasing the number of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). The changing health care and populations requires that nursing along with the whole care system focus on delivering care in the communities rather than in acute care centers.

The report encourages transformation that would “enable all health professionals to practice to the full extent of their education, training, and competencies”. Achieving this would “provide higher quality care, reduce errors, and increase safety’ (10M, 2010). Transforming nursing leadership is the third focus of the 10M report. According to the Key Message #3 of the report: “Nurses should be ull partners, with physicians and other health professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States”. Nurses have proven that they have leadership abilities in their everyday practice.

The 10M stresses the importance of developing of nursing leadership skill for the transformation of the health care system. Nurses are encouraged to collaborate and partner with physicians and other health care professionals which would make the transition to a new model of health care more efficient. New research would be smoothly translated from the nursing education to he practice with the help of competent nursing leaders. Partnering with physicians and other health professional would require all nurses to develop strong level of leadership skills and competencies.